The figure showns projected yield losses due to elevated ozone concentrations. The 2030 scenario assumes the implementation of current legislation for the major world regions. Positive RYL values indicate an increase in crop yield loss in 2030 compared with 2005.

Air pollution in Europe comes with a high price tag, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). While policies have improved air quality overall, air pollution is still the main environmental health hazard, resulting in high costs for health care systems, unhealthy workers and an estimated 400 000 premature deaths in Europe in 2011.

The maps are derived primarily from Airbase background station monitoring data, few EMEP station monitoring data, supplemented with altitude, meteorological ECMWF data and EMEP concentration modelling data. The dataset has been reorganised in order to improve data harmonization among years and to facilitate storage and processing of the interpolated maps for the EEA data services.

Ground-level ozone exceeded legal limits in every Member State and at many individual measurement sites during summer 2013, according to the European Environment Agency's annual report on this harmful pollutant. Although the number of exceedances is high, they have decreased over recent decades, the report notes.

"The positive news is that over the last decades, the situation has improved substantially in terms of exposure to several air pollutants. But these pollutants, where we achieved the most significant reductions are not the ones causing most harm to human health and the environment" says Valentin Foltescu, who works on air quality assessment and data reporting at the EEA. We asked Valentin what the EEA does on air quality and what the latest data says.

Unusually high temperatures this summer may be contributing to poor air quality in many European cities. Thresholds to protect health from ground-level ozone have been exceeded across Europe in recent weeks, according to preliminary data reported to the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Air pollution is not the same everywhere. Different pollutants are released into
the atmosphere from a wide range of sources. Once in the atmosphere, they
can transform into new pollutants and spread around the world. Designing and
implementing policies to address this complexity are not easy tasks. Below is an
overview of air legislation in the European Union.

Poor air quality can have serious impacts on our health and the environment. How is Europe’s air quality? What are the main sources of air pollutants? How do they affect our health and the environment? What does Europe do to improve air quality? The new edition of the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Signals takes a closer look.